Bridging the gender gap

Source: TNS

Over at the Kantar UK Insights blog, Samantha Scruggs marks International Women’s Day by looking at the data on gender inequality. The Futures Company’s Elisa Birtwistle is quoted in the post. Gender differences in pay and position in Europe are still stark:

On average, women are still paid 16% less than men per hour of work across the entire EU economy. In the workplace, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions, including decision-making function in politics and in corporate boardrooms. Eurobarometer data from our TNS Opinion found that women hold only 27% of seats in national parliaments and governments; 18% of board seats; and 3% CEO positions.

The gap between the way the world is, and the way people think it ought to be, is striking:

Almost all Europeans (94%) agree that equality between men and women is a fundamental right. In fact, three quarters of Europeans (76%) think that tackling inequality between men and women should be an EU priority.

Elisa Birtwistle, the lead author on our Women 2020 report, has these thoughts in the Kantar post on some of the drivers of change which may help get to gender parity.

‘Gendered attributes’ which have been typically considered ‘female’ – e.g. collaboration, empathy, diplomacy, flexibility – are becoming more recognised as valuable in a knowledge economy (as opposed to the manufacturing economy)